Straight answers for Portland homeowners

These guides go deeper than the service pages on the questions Portland homeowners raise most. Each one links to the official or published source for every figure.

• How to choose a plumber in Portland: checking the CCB and BCD licenses, comparing written estimates, contract and notice requirements, permits and payment schedules.
• Plumber cost in Portland: hourly rates, service call fees and typical prices by job, with the source of each range and what pushes a quote up or down.
• Old house plumbing in Portland: what to watch in older homes, from aging supply pipe and sewer laterals to lead solder in homes built between 1970 and 1985, and when to replace rather than repair.
• Sump pumps and basement flooding: how rainy-season water gets into basements, how sump pumps and backwater valves differ, and what the city offers.
• Tree roots in your sewer line: why roots find sewer pipes, how they are found and cleared, and when lining or replacement makes more sense.

Older homes tend to raise the same three questions: roots entering old sewer joints, aging supply pipe that leaks or loses pressure, and basements that take on water in the rainy season. The guides on old house plumbing, tree roots and basement flooding cover each one.

On lead, the Portland Water Bureau says fewer than 10 percent of homes have copper pipe with lead solder, and that all residential water users can get free lead-in-water testing through the LeadLine at leadline.org.

The choosing a plumber guide covers this in full, but the core checks are short:

• Two licenses. Confirm the CCB license is active and that the company also holds a BCD plumbing contractor license. The Building Codes Division advises checking both before work begins.
• A written contract with the required notices. The CCB says every contract should include its Consumer Protection Notice, Notice of Procedure and Information Notice about construction liens.
• Your right to cancel. The CCB guide explains that most initial residential contracts can be cancelled by written notice before midnight of the next business day, and that a three-day right applies to many repair contracts solicited at your home.
• The permit. Ask who pulls it and which inspections it needs.

1. Read the guide that matches your problem, and note the questions it suggests.
2. Compare any written quote against the published ranges in the cost guide and the service pages.
3. Check the contractor in the CCB license search before signing.
4. If something is happening right now, skip the reading and go to the emergency checklist.

Guides were last reviewed in October 2026. Permit procedures, city programs and cost guide figures change, so each figure links to its source; check the official page before relying on a program amount or rule. If you find an error, email hello@portlandplumberpros.com with the page and the correct source. Our about page explains how we research.

We are an independent guide and do not do this work. To reach a plumber, call one of the licensed contractors listed on this page or see all listed contractors. If you prefer, you can email us your question through our contact page.